Vulgar predilections absorbing the French (9)
I believe the answer is:
tasteless
'vulgar' is the definition.
('tasteless' can be similar in meaning to 'vulgar')
'predilections absorbing the french' is the wordplay.
'predilections' becomes 'tastes' ('taste' can be a synonym of 'predilection').
'absorbing' is an insertion indicator.
'the french' becomes 'les' (les is the in french).
'tastes' going around 'les' is 'TASTELESS'.
(Other definitions for tasteless that I've seen before include "Vapid" , "Insipid - vulgar" , "improper" , "Bland; offensive" , "Lacking flavour or aesthetic appreciation" .)